Effects Valium has on Seizures

My sister is a victim of a disease called Rett Syndrome which causes her to have intense seizures. She is seventeen now and has had seizures her whole life. Having faced these for many years now, my parents have been through lots of different types of medications to help treat and control her seizures. The newest type of medication is Valium and so I though that I would take this opportunity to learn more about it and its effect on seizures.

First off, it is important to understand what a seizure is. A seizure is caused by abnormal discharge of electric stimulation in the brain. They may also be caused by salt imbalances in the blood, gastrointestinal disease, poisoning, head injury, brain disease such as a tumor, a malformed blood vessel, or anything that causes sudden lack of oxygen to the brain.((1).) Seizures are also grouped into different categories depending on how severe they are and also depending on which part of the brain is effected. For example, if the entire brain is involved it is a generalized seizure as opposed to if only a portion of the brain is effected and in that case the seizure is a partial seizure. ((2).) There are two types of partial seizures, simple partial and complex partial. There are also two types of generalized seizures, generalized absence (petit mal) and tonic-clonic (grand mal). The seizures that my sister has are tonic-clonic or grand mal, which are considered the most severe type of seizure to have. With a tonic-clonic seizure, there are two phases. In the tonic phase, the person loses consciousness and falls, as the body grows rigid. In the clonic phase, body extremities jerk and twitch. After the seizure, consciousness returns slowly. ((2).)

Over the years, my sister has been through various different medications whose intent was to control her seizure activity. A new type of treatment that her neurologist suggested trying is Valium (Diazepam). Valium is a drug that effects the limbic, thalamic and hypothalamic regions of the central nervous system. ((3).) Valium slows the central nervous system and is used to treat anxiety related disorders and conditions that cause severe muscle spasms and convulsions. ((4).) Valium is administered rectally. Liquid Valium is absorbed fast from the rectum. The effect should take place 5-15 minutes after the injection.((3).) Valium should not be used on a daily basis because it can cause withdraw and it also has many other side effects.

My sister has her seizures in clusters. When she has them she will usually have about five or six seizures over the course of two or three days. Because her seizures come in clusters, her neurologist thought that Valium may help stop or at least decrease the intensity or frequency of her seizures. The last time two times that she had seizures, my mom rectally gave her the Valium and my mom thought that the Valium did have an effect. She said that once she gave her the Valium that the seizures went away, but that my sister was very tired and it took her two or three days to regain her strength, but those two or three days were seizure free. My parents have had many discussions about whether
They should continue to use the Valium and for right now they are going to continue to use it when her seizures come because the Valium did make them stop. We think that because we are not going to use it on a regular basis that her body will not become dependent on it. But as of right now, the Valium is supported by us as a way to treat a tonic-clonic cluster of seizures.

References

SUCCESSIVE REFERENCES, LIKE PARAGRAPHS, SHOULD BE SEPARATED BY BLANK LINES (OR WTIH

BUT NOT BOTH)

FOR WEB REFERENCES USE THE FOLLOWING, REPEATING AS NECESSARY

1)Seizures, COMMENTS ABOUT IT
http://kidshealth.org/parent/firstaid_safe/emergencies/seizure.html

2)Types of Seizures, COMMENTS ABOUT IT
http://www.epilepsy.ca/eng/types.html

3)Treating Cluster Seizures With The Rectal and Oral Valium Protocol, COMMENTS ABOUT IT
http://www.canine-epilepsyguardianangels.com/oralandrectalprotocol.htm

4)Valium, COMMENTS ABOUT IT
http://www.accessmednet.com/prescription-drug-information/valium-side-effects.html

Related Searches

Important Note: If you'd like to save a copy of the
paper on your computer, you can COPY and PASTE it into your word
processor. Please, follow these steps to do that in Windows:

1. Select the text of the paper with the mouse and press Ctrl+C.2. Open your word processor and press Ctrl+V.

Company's Liability

123HelpMe.com (the "Web Site") is produced by the "Company". The contents of this Web Site, such as text, graphics, images, audio, video and all other material ("Material"), are protected by copyright under both United States and foreign laws.
The Company makes no representations about the accuracy, reliability, completeness, or timeliness of the Material or about the results to be obtained from using the Material. You expressly agree that any use of the Material is entirely at your own risk. Most of the Material on the Web Site is provided and maintained by third parties. This third party Material may not be screened by the Company prior to its inclusion on the Web Site. You expressly agree that the Company is not liable or responsible for any defamatory, offensive, or illegal conduct of other subscribers or third parties.

The Materials are provided on an as-is basis without warranty express or implied. The Company and its suppliers and affiliates disclaim all warranties, including the warranty of non-infringement of proprietary or third party rights, and the warranty of fitness for a particular purpose. The Company and its suppliers make no warranties as to the accuracy, reliability, completeness, or timeliness of the material, services, text, graphics and links.

For a complete statement of the Terms of Service, please see our website. By obtaining these materials you agree to abide by the terms herein, by our Terms of Service as posted on the website and any and all alterations, revisions and amendments thereto.